Fifty Pound Charge For Lost Or Stolen Wheelie Bins

Part of Hounslow Council's new refuse collection policy

A new £50 charge if your wheelie bin goes missing, gets stolen or is lost, is to be introduced by Hounslow Council. A similar charge will be introduced for revisiting to collect rubbish either left out on the wrong day, and were agreed last week at a council cabinet meeting.

The changes coincide with a new recycling contract managed by Recycle 360 (R360), a subsidiary of Lampton 360, a wholly-owned council company, which is launching on 31 October.

The new contract is designed to improve the current recycling and waste collection service and make it easier for residents to use.

Hounslow Council said a number of changes would be made to issuing replacement wheelie bins to households where bins are lost, stolen or burnt. These bins will be replaced but the resident will need to pay a £50 charge to cover the cost of delivery and VAT. Any bins lost after collection (by crew) will be replaced free of charge. No charge will be made for replacement recycling boxes.

R360 will return to collect a genuine missed collection, where the collection crew may not have been able to empty the bin for reasons such as problems accessing the street, but the charge will apply in most other circumstances, including:
• Bin not out in time
• Bin contaminated with incorrect waste
• Bin too heavy
• Bin with excess waste – i.e. bagged items not in the bin.
In these cases residents will have the option of taking the waste to a civic amenity site, such as Space Waye, or paying £50 for the collection crew to return once any errors have been corrected.

Councillor Amrit Mann, deputy leader of Hounslow Council, said: “It costs money for us to send a refuse vehicle to empty a bin that was put out at the wrong time – why should this cost be footed by the council tax payer? The new policy makes the consequence of this and other collection issues that can impact the service clear for residents.
"The transfer of the waste contract to Recycle 360 has given us the opportunity to review all elements of the current service and create a business that is fair and balanced, fit for purpose and provides value for money for the council tax payer of this borough."
A new IT system available to collection staff will make it easier for residents to understand why their bin may not have been collected in real time, rather than wait until the following day. Residents must report a problem with collection on their scheduled day of collection or the following working day.
The new contract will also see a new, improved recycling service launched early next year. The current mix of bags and boxes will be replaced by a boxes only system with weekly collections of all items. In addition to the existing paper, glass, food, mixed plastics and cans, R360 will also collect cooking oil (bottled) and will continue to collect bagged textiles and small electrical items.
Due to lack of demand, engine oil, mobile phones, batteries and print cartridges will no longer be collected.

October 14, 2016